Ansonia woman gets two years for probation violation

BANTAM >> An Ansonia woman received two years in prison for violating probation after she was arrested for allegedly using her children as a shield in a shoplifting spree spanning several towns.

Tabatha Garafalo, 31, of 58 Clifton Ave. in Ansonia, violated probation March 27, according to judicial records on file at Superior Court, when probation staff was made aware of run-ins she had with multiple police departments while on probation for a prior conviction in Litchfield County.

Her sentence is stayed until May 12 after she agreed to waive a presentencing investigation in an effort to expedite the process.

The two years is concurrent to time she receives for pending cases in other jurisdictions.

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Garafolo is the same woman who appeared before Judge Richard Marano in September 2012 and was ordered to prison for 14 months for felony risk of injury to a child.

The woman was released last July after serving 10 months, to be followed by three years of probation.

A little more than four months later, she was picked up by Trumbull police on a charge of fifth-degree larceny, which is still pending in Bridgeport Superior Court, according to judicial records.

Police said she was seen allegedly putting a pair of sell phones in her purse before checking out and paying for a toy for her child, who was with her at the time. She was picked up again last December for risk of injury to a minor and sixth-degree larceny after allegedly doing the same thing at a Target on Hawley Lane.

Southbury police arrested Garofalo on Feb. 27 on an active warrant charging her with three counts of risk of injury to a minor, fifth-degree larceny and criminal attempt to commit sixth-degree larceny. She allegedly took her three children to get manicures and pedicures at Sunny Nail and Spa, then snuck behind the owner’s desk, unzipped a purse and stole a wallet, which had $400 in cash.

When the owner confronted her, Garafalo fled with her children and chucked the wallet out of her window while driving down Route 188, police said.

The woman allegedly confessed to the theft, according to court records.